1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a route guiding explanation device and a route guiding explanation system and, more in particular, to a route guiding device provided by a car navigation system or the like for performing a route guidance for a driver of an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
A car navigation system (hereinafter referred to as a carnavi system) used inside an automobile is being popularized. The number of factory shipments of the carnavi in 1998 record 1,352,000 sets, which are 17.9% increase over the preceding year. Having a communication function, a map presentation with birds-eye-view function or the like, its functions are extremely advanced.
However, in a current carnavi system, its functions have been so advanced that the system has come to incorporate a number of functions which are not required for general users. As a result, a CPU (central processing unit) or memories of high-level functions have come to be required even for the level of a route guiding function. Also, since each manufacturer takes its own format for its route guiding information, the data thereof is not compatible with each other, thereby making it impossible for the general users to add or change route information data or the like and thus unable for them to add the route guiding information.
In the above described carnavi system, since it is possible to designate any and every site of the present location and the destination, there arises a problem that a large number of memories are required.
Also, since a detailed route between two sites is allowed to be dynamically prepared, it is necessary to introduce a complex algorithm for the automatic preparation of the route. As a result, there arises a problem that the CPU of high-level function is required. That is, there is a problem that the navigation system of the current carnavi system requires the CPU of high-level function or the large number of memories.
Hence, an object of the present invention is to solve the problem described as above and to provide a route guiding explanation device and a route guiding explanation system capable of making an addition or a change of route information or the like by the general users without having to require any CPU of high-level function or a large number of memories.
The route guiding explanation device according to the present invention is a route guiding explanation device for guiding a route to a destination as instructed while in traveling and comprises: landmark absolute position storing means for storing a pair of a landmark as a mark while in traveling and its absolute position; landmark section travel explanation storing means for storing route explanations on how to travel from a starting point landmark as a starting point and to a destination landmark as the end of a travel; first detecting means for detecting the landmark most close to the present location from the above described landmark absolute position storing means; second detecting means for detecting the landmark most close to the above described destination from the above described landmark absolute position storing means; and explanation renewing means for obtaining and informing route explanations from the above described landmark section travel explanation storing means based on each detecting result of the above described first and second detecting means.
The route guiding explanation system according to the present invention is a route guiding explanation system, including: a server device for storing a route guiding information to a destination as instructed while in traveling; and a navigation device for guiding a route by obtaining the above described route guiding information from the above described server device,
in which the server device is provided with: landmark absolute position storing means for storing a pair of the landmark as a mark while in traveling and its absolute position; and landmark section travel explanation storing means for storing route explanations on how to travel from the starting point landmark as a starting point and to the destination landmark as a destination, and
first detecting means for detecting the landmark most close to the present location from the above described landmark absolute position storing means, second detecting means for detecting the landmark most close to the above described destination from the above described landmark absolute position storing means, and explanation renewing means for obtaining and informing route explanations from the above described landmark section travel explanation storing means are provided for the above described navigation device.
That is, the route guiding explanation device according to the present invention comprises: landmark absolute position storing means for storing a landmark such as a location, a building or a bridge which becomes a mark while in traveling in a device for guiding a route to a destination when the driver instructs the destination while in traveling by an automobile; landmark section travel explanation storing means for storing route explanations in all combinations on how to travel from the starting point landmark as a certain starting point to the destination landmark as the destination; the present location absolute position obtaining portion for obtaining the driver""s present location information; the present location absolute position storing portion for storing the value obtained by the present location absolute position obtaining portion; a destination obtaining portion for storing the position of the destination indicated by the driver; a destination absolute position converting portion for converting the destination stored in a destination storing portion into a absolute position; a destination absolute position storing portion for storing an output of the destination absolute position converting portion; a present location neighboring landmark storing portion for determining the landmark most close to a present location absolute position by calculating distances to the absolute positions of each landmark in a landmark absolute position storing portion by inputting the absolute position information of the present location of the present location absolute position storing portion and storing its landmark name; a destination neighboring landmark storing portion for determining the landmark most close to the destination absolute position by calculating distances to the positions of each landmark in the landmark absolute position storing portion by inputting the absolute position information of the destination of the destination absolute position storing portion and storing its landmark name; and a landmark section travel explanation renewing portion for regarding the value of a present location neighboring landmark storing portion and the value of the destination neighboring landmark storing portion as inputs and the value of the present location neighboring landmark storing portion as the starting point landmark by referring to a landmark section travel explanation storing portion and taking out and renewing for the driver the corresponding route explanations by regarding the value of the destination neighboring landmark as the destination landmark.
Also, in addition to the above mentioned structure, the route guiding explanation device of the present invention is provided with a landmark add-on portion for receiving the name and absolute position of a landmark when additional input instructions are received from the driver and adding the landmark and the absolute position to the landmark absolute position storing portion and subsequently adding a travel explanation to a landmark section travel explanation storing portion when the travel explanation between the landmark and the other landmark is received from the driver in terms of texts or sounds, and an explanation correcting portion for further receiving the starting point landmark name, a destination landmark name and a new explanation in terms of texts or sounds when explanation correction input instructions are received from the driver and replacing the travel explanation between the starting point landmark and the destination landmark in the landmark section travel explanation storing portion by the explanation newly received.
Configured in such a manner, the route guiding explanation device according to the present invention has the landmark information only such as a location, a building, an amusement park, a museum or the like which becomes a mark while in traveling. That is, the navigation is made in a landmark unit. Accordingly, only a rough navigation can be made in contrast to the conventional carnavi system.
However, depending on the number of landmarks set up, it is possible to substantially reduce the required number of memories in contrast to the past. Of course, the result will cause an inconvenience from the driver""s point of view, and even if a random destination is instructed from a random present location, since no guidance is practically given from the present location to the most nearest landmark point, the driver must travel there by his own efforts.
Also, since the guidance is not given to the destination front but to the nearest landmark to the destination, from there too, the driver must travel to the destination by his own efforts.
For example, presume that the driver wants to travel to Musashi Nakahara station of Nanbu line located in Kawasaki city while he is currently traveling in the vicinity of Keio University located in Minato-ku, Tokyo. When the driver informs the device of his intention, it would be fine if Keio University is registered as a landmark, but if not, the driver must travel to Tokyo Tower which is the most nearest existing landmark by his own efforts.
On the other hand, when Musashi Nakahara station as a destination is not registered, a navigation is made up to Kawasaki Citizen Museum which is a landmark most nearest to Musashi Nakahara station from Tokyo Tower. However, since a route guiding from Kawasaki Citizen Museum to Musashi Nakahara station is not made, the driver must travel there by his own efforts.
Also, in the route guiding explanation device of the present invention, since the database portion of a navigation data is simply configured, it is easy for a large number of people to improve or update the database. Accordingly, a specific company does not control the database, but the database is instead configured such that the cooperative improvement of the system by a number of participants can be easily made, similar to an OS (operating system) by an open source. As for an internal data structure, the database takes a very simple configuration.
Therefore, it is possible to provide a carnavi system capable of cooperatively improving a route guiding database among a plurality of drivers. That is, it is possible to provide a simple and straightforward route guiding database without requiring a vast power of calculations. Also, it is easy to make the editing or the addition of a route guiding data portion or the like by the general users under a simple data structure. As a result, it is possible to improve the route guiding data by the cooperation of a large number of general users (automobile drivers).